IN COLOMBIA, WHERE FAMILIES WITH A GENETIC MUTATION ARE DOOMED TO FACE ALZHEIMER’S, A $100 MILLION DRUG TRIAL IS UNDER WAY. THE FIRST QUESTION IS WHETHER THE TEST CAN CHANGE THE FAMILIES’ FUTURE. THE BIGGER QUESTION IS WHAT IT WILL MEAN FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD.

Drug Discovery for Neurodegeneration Conference: An Intensive Course on Translating Research into Drugs

The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation explains: “This annual meeting provides an invaluable resource to the neurodegenerative disease community, bringing together leaders in the field to provide practical guidance for investigators new to, and experience in, drug discovery and development for neurodegenerative disease. Relevant examples for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Multiple Sclerosis will be included in the discussions.”

]]>http://azalz.org/alzheimers-drug-discovery-foundations-9th-annual-conference-in-san-diego-march-2015/feed/0“Understanding Alzheimer’s” Featured In Living Well A-Z November 2014http://azalz.org/understanding-alzheimers-featured-in-living-well-a-z-november-2014/
http://azalz.org/understanding-alzheimers-featured-in-living-well-a-z-november-2014/#commentsWed, 05 Nov 2014 22:31:50 +0000http://azalz.org/?p=624The November 2014 edition of Living Well A-Z in the Arizona Republic features an article highlighting several Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium members.

]]>http://azalz.org/understanding-alzheimers-featured-in-living-well-a-z-november-2014/feed/0TGen’s Mindcrowd Featured on STEM Journals on Sunday, September 21sthttp://azalz.org/tgens-mindcrowd-featured-on-stem-journals-on-sunday-september-21st/
http://azalz.org/tgens-mindcrowd-featured-on-stem-journals-on-sunday-september-21st/#commentsWed, 17 Sep 2014 21:38:18 +0000http://azalz.org/?p=614
TGen’s online cognitive study MindCrowd will be featured on an upcoming episode of STEM Journals on Sunday, September 21st at 7pm on Cox 7 or 1007.

MindCrowd is the first research project of its kind. Researchers hope that a million people worldwide will spend 10 minutes taking their online test. With the knowledge they glean from the results, scientists hope to gain a better understanding of the affect of aging on memory and use that information to help prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s.

MindCrowd is a collaborative effort among leading scientific research institutions and organizations including TGen, the University of Arizona and the Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative.

]]>http://azalz.org/tgens-mindcrowd-featured-on-stem-journals-on-sunday-september-21st/feed/0Genentech Neuroscientist to Speak at ASU About Advances in Alzheimer’s Drug Developmenthttp://azalz.org/genentech-neuroscientist-to-speak-at-asu-about-advances-in-alzheimers-drug-development/
http://azalz.org/genentech-neuroscientist-to-speak-at-asu-about-advances-in-alzheimers-drug-development/#commentsWed, 10 Sep 2014 17:01:54 +0000http://azalz.org/?p=607New discoveries that may increase the effectiveness of Alzheimer’s treatments will be the topic at a Discovery Series presentation at the Biodesign Institute at ASU on Wednesday, Sept. 10 at 10 a.m.

Genentech neuroscientist Ryan Watts, PhD, will discuss his work on a process that enables Alzheimer’s drugs to cross the blood-brain barrier, a challenge that has confounded researchers and pharmaceutical companies for decades.

“We focus on a single molecule and how it may be playing a role in disease in the human brain,” says Watts, the director and senior scientist of Genentech’s Department of Neuroscience, in a video, How to Get Into the Brain.

Watts and his colleague, Mark Dennis, Genentech principal scientist, Antibody Engineering, used receptor-mediated transcytosis to enable their therapeutic antibody to cross the blood-brain barrier and enter the brain and the central nervous system. Pursuit of this research paves the way for other new drugs aimed at Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and many more brain illnesses that are currently intractable.

The seminar, Crossing Barriers in Alzheimer’s Drug Development, is free and open to the public. No reservations are necessary and seats are limited. The event will take place at the Biodesign Institute Auditorium at 727 E. Tyler St., Tempe, Arizona, 85287.

]]>http://azalz.org/genentech-neuroscientist-to-speak-at-asu-about-advances-in-alzheimers-drug-development/feed/0New Funding Opportunity Alert — Department of Defensehttp://azalz.org/new-funding-opportunity-alert-department-of-defense/
http://azalz.org/new-funding-opportunity-alert-department-of-defense/#commentsFri, 15 Aug 2014 17:16:03 +0000http://azalz.org/?p=604The Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Alzheimer Research Program has new information available about research funding opportunities and its program goals for the future. This unique research program provides funding to address the long-term consequences of traumatic brain injury as they pertain to Alzheimer¹s disease (AD).

Initially the program began with Congressional directed funding in 2011 to supplement AD research. This year¹s program will be offering $12 million dollars in three award mechanisms: Convergence Science Research Awards, Quality of Life Research Awards, and Military Risk Factor Awards, see News http://cdmrp.army.mil/pubs/press/2014/14prarppreann.shtml.

]]>http://azalz.org/new-funding-opportunity-alert-department-of-defense/feed/0Gift to University of Arizona’s McKnight Brain Institute Launches Matching Campaignhttp://azalz.org/gift-to-university-of-arizonas-mcknight-brain-institute-launches-matching-campaign/
http://azalz.org/gift-to-university-of-arizonas-mcknight-brain-institute-launches-matching-campaign/#commentsThu, 14 Aug 2014 19:09:42 +0000http://azalz.org/?p=602The University of Arizona has received a $5 million gift for its McKnight Brain Institute that challenges other philanthropists to match the amount to help support ongoing funding for neuroscience research.

Phoenix (August 6, 2014) – The National Institutes of Health (NIH) renewed funding for the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute (BAI) and Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, longitudinal study of the earliest changes associated with the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease at older ages. The award, an estimated $8.3 million over the next five years, continues NIH’s long-term support of the investigation.

The study, which began two decades ago, has been examining the subtle brain imaging, memory and thinking changes that occur in healthy late-middle-aged and older adults who have inherited from their parents either one, two or no copies of the apolipoprotein E (APOE4) gene, the major genetic risk factor for developing late-onset Alzheimer’s. Each additional copy of the gene significantly increases a person’s chance of developing the disease.

“We are extremely grateful to the NIH and our wonderful research volunteers for their support,” said Dr. Eric M. Reiman, BAI Executive Director and one of the study’s principal investigators. “From the beginning, this study has been driven by our interest in finding treatments to prevent or end Alzheimer’s as quickly as possible, and to provide the information and tools needed to do just that.”

By studying individuals at three levels of genetic risk, researchers have been able to get a sneak peek at the changes associated with the risk of Alzheimer’s. As study participants begin to reach older ages, researchers hope to further clarify the extent to which characteristic brain imaging and other biological changes are associated with subsequent clinical decline. Additionally, researchers hope to further clarify the number of at-risk persons needed to conduct prevention trials, as well as share this valuable resource with other researchers and further develop the methods needed to test the range of promising treatments as quickly as possible.

This longitudinal study began in 1994, soon after researchers discovered the APOE4 gene’s contribution to the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. They have been following approximately 200 healthy volunteers with varying copies of the APOE4 gene, starting between the ages of about 50-65. Every two years, participants are monitored using an extensive battery of brain imaging, memory and thinking tests. A growing number of participants have also been providing cerebrospinal fluid samples. As many of the volunteers reach older ages, a growing number are now at risk for developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. This disease progression will give researchers the opportunity to characterize the extent of change in various biomarker and cognitive measurements. Data will be used to evaluate potential treatments that could combat amyloid plaques, which are strongly associated with Alzheimer’s, as well as help inform the design of future prevention trials.

“Like Dr. Reiman, I am excited about the opportunity we have been given to help advance the study of preclinical Alzheimer’s,” said Dr. Richard J. Caselli, Professor of Neurology at Mayo Clinic in Arizona and the study’s other principal investigator. “We also look forward to the chance to share our data and samples with other researchers to help advance the scientific fight against this terrible disease.”

The study has had a profound impact on Alzheimer’s prevention efforts. It has helped shape the field’s understanding of the progressive brain changes that precede the clinical onset of Alzheimer’s by almost two decades. It has also served as the foundation for the Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative, an international collaborative formed to accelerate the evaluation of promising but unproven therapies. Data from this longitudinal study has also contributed to the development of the National Institute on Aging and Alzheimer’s Association research criteria for pre-clinical Alzheimer’s. It has also provided key information for the first reconceptualization of Alzheimer’s as a sequence of biological changes that progress over a person’s lifetime.

“By providing insights into the earliest Alzheimer’s-related changes to brain function and structure, this study is contributing to the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’ Disease goal of finding effective interventions by 2025,” said Dr. Neil Buckholtz, of the National Institute on Aging, which leads the NIH research program on Alzheimer’s.

This work also includes researchers from Arizona State University, University of Arizona and the Translational Genomics Research Institute, organizations that are partners in the Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium. Dr. Eric M. Reiman of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute and Dr. Richard J. Caselli of Mayo Clinic are the two principal investigators.

Alzheimer’s is a debilitating and incurable disease that affects as many as 5 million Americans age 65 and older, according to a number of estimates. Without the discovery of successful prevention therapies, the number of U.S. cases is projected to nearly triple by 2050.

###

About Banner Alzheimer’s Institute

Through its research and care, Banner Alzheimer’s Institute (BAI) is dedicated to the goal of ending Alzheimer’s disease without losing another generation. It is helping to launch a new era of Alzheimer’s research—treatment and prevention at the pre-symptomatic stage—and to establish a new comprehensive model of care. Established in 2006 by Banner Health, one of the country’s largest nonprofit health care systems, BAI has a three-fold focus: to conduct revolutionary studies in the detection, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s; to set a national standard of patient and family care; and to forge scientific collaborations that bring together institutions and disciplines internationally. For more information, visit banneralz.org.

]]>http://azalz.org/nih-renews-funding-of-banner-alzheimers-institute-and-mayo-clinic-decades-long-longitudinal-study-of-earliest-alzheimers-disease-changes/feed/0Banner Alzheimer’s Institute Announces Partnership with Novartis in New Study of Alzheimer’s Prevention Treatmentshttp://azalz.org/banner-alzheimers-institute-announces-partnership-with-novartis-in-new-study-of-alzheimers-prevention-treatments/
http://azalz.org/banner-alzheimers-institute-announces-partnership-with-novartis-in-new-study-of-alzheimers-prevention-treatments/#commentsTue, 22 Jul 2014 17:46:48 +0000http://azalz.org/?p=595Two drugs to be studied in North America and Europe in volunteers at high risk for disease

Copenhagen, Denmark (July 15, 2014) —Researchers from the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute (BAI) today announced a partnership with Novartis in a pioneering medical trial to determine whether two investigational anti-amyloid drugs—an active immunotherapy and an oral medication—can prevent or delay the emergence of symptoms of Alzheimer’s in people at particularly high risk for developing the disease at older ages.

The five-year APOE4 trial will involve more than 1,300 cognitively healthy older adults, ages 60 to 75, at high risk of developing symptoms ofAlzheimer’s because they inherited two copies of the apolipoprotein E (APOE4) gene—one from each parent. About 2 percent of the world’s population carries two copies of this gene and one in four people carry one copy of the APOE4 gene, which is strongly linked to late-onset Alzheimer’s.

The trial—subject to regulatory authority approval—will begin in 2015 at approximately 60 sites in Europe and North America, including BAI’s headquarters in Phoenix, Ariz. Participants will receive either the active immunotherapy or the oral medication or a placebo.

The study is partially funded by a $33.2 million grant commitment from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, awarded in 2013, and

more than $15 million in philanthropic and in-kind contributions by Banner Alzheimer’s Foundation. It is part of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative (API), an international collaboration led by BAI to accelerate the evaluation of promising prevention therapies.

Today’s announcement of the partnership with Novartis, a Swiss pharmaceutical company, and the selection of the drugs to be studied, represent a dramatic investment in novel approaches to Alzheimer’s prevention research.

“We hope Novartis’s substantial investment of resources and expertise will lead to a significant breakthrough in Alzheimer’s research,” said Dr. Pierre N. Tariot, study director for BAI, an arm of Banner Health, one of the largest nonprofit healthcare systems in the United States. “We are taking clinical trials to a critical new stage. This approach shifts the research paradigm from trying to reverse disease damage to attacking and preventing its cause, years before symptoms could surface.”

The active immunotherapy is aimed at triggering the body’s immune system to produce antibodies that attack different forms of the amyloid protein, which many researchers have suggested plays a critical role in the development of Alzheimer’s. The oral medication is a BACE (beta-secretase1) inhibitor, designed to prevent the production of different forms of the amyloid protein.

The two drugs, which will be tested separately, are intended to stop the accumulation of amyloid in ways that differ from the anti-amyloid antibody therapies now being tested in API’s Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease (ADAD) trial in Colombia, and in two other prevention trials. The drugs are being introduced even before amyloid accumulates in some of the participants’ brains. The trial will increase the chance of finding treatments that will prevent, slow or delay the loss of memory and other cognitive abilities associated with Alzheimer’s.

The new study marks the second major trial associated with API. In 2012, NIH announced the long-term ADAD study of cognitively healthy individuals who are destined to develop Alzheimer’s at an unusually early age because of their genetic history. The $100 million study—funded by NIH, BAI and Genentech, a biotechnology company—is focused on approximately 300 members of an extraordinarily large family from Colombia who share a rare genetic mutation that typically triggers Alzheimer’s symptoms around age 45.

The ADAD study, a partnership of BAI, Genentech and the University of Antioquia in Colombia, is evaluating the amyloid antibody agent crenezumab.

“There are no guarantees that any of these investigational treatments will prevent the clinical onset of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Eric M. Reiman, one of the study directors for BAI. “But we are grateful for these opportunities to find out.”

The APOE4 and ADAD trials will be critical in determining whether anti-amyloid treatments are likely to show benefit for Alzheimer’s. Both trials include the best-established cognitive and biological measures of the disease, and a strategy that might make it possible to substantially shorten the time needed to conduct future prevention trials. Both trials also include precedent-setting agreements for the sharing of study data and biological samples after the studies conclude.

Volunteers for the APOE4 study will receive either active immunotherapy injections or a BACE inhibitor in pill form or a placebo. Participants will be recruited via multiple venues, including the Alzheimer’s Prevention Registry website created by BAI in 2012. The registry (www.endALZnow.org) currently has more than 37,000 potential volunteers and is aiming to recruit more than 250,000.

The APOE4 study’s new website, which will launch in 2015, will create a platform to explain the study, register potential participants and provide disclosure information and consent forms. Volunteers who meet the study criteria will be asked to mail a sample of their genetic material (such as a cheek swab) to a laboratory. The volunteers will learn the results of that test in the context of possibly enrolling in the trial.

“This web research platform creates a powerful tool for any additional Alzheimer’s research,” said Jessica Langbaum, Ph.D., co-director of the study at BAI. “This infrastructure enables us to create more than just a single drug trial, but rather a template for testing a variety of treatments for many years to come.”

Volunteers who are selected will receive genetic counseling, as will others who are not chosen but who seek more information on their vulnerability. “We are keenly aware of the extreme sensitivity and emotional impact of disclosing genetic information,” Dr. Langbaum said. Volunteers accepted into the trial will already know they are at high risk, while others may learn of a lesser but still increased risk. For both of these groups, BAI will be providing more detailed information and genetic counseling in person, by phone or possibly through video-conferencing or telemedicine.

“We are excited about the chance to partner with Novartis, which has a longstanding commitment to the fight against Alzheimer’s and promising investigational treatments. They will conduct this study in a way that will be helpful to all stakeholders in the field,” said Dr. Tariot.

“We are now coming to believe that attacking Alzheimer’s disease, before clinical signs of memory loss and cognitive impairment become evident, may provide our best chance for effective therapies,” says Dr. Neil Buckholtz, Director of the Division of Neuroscience at the NIA. “These studies will be important in helping to determine if and how that can be done.”

Alzheimer’s is a debilitating and incurable disease that affects as many as 5 million Americans age 65 and older, according to a number of estimates. Without the discovery of successful prevention therapies, the number of U.S. cases is projected to nearly triple by 2050.

A Phoenix-area research group (Banner Alzheimer’s Institute and its research partners) will team with Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis to test two experimental drugs that aim to fend off Alzheimer’s disease in older adults who are at high risk but have not yet shown memory or thinking problems.